La Leche League International

Is it possible to spoil a baby?

– No. Babies aren’t manipulative, perceptive, sneaky, or subversive. They just … are. Meeting their needs gives them a totally reliable base from which to begin to explore and make sense of the world. At this young age, their wants are the same as their needs. We can meet either one without worrying in the slightest about spoiling.

What do I do with him?

– Babies are built to fit into our busy days, not to be the center of them. Do your work. Clean house, run errands, fix your lunch, go places, and include your baby. A trip to the grocery store gives far more stimulation for him than the most elaborate toy. It’s sometimes called “benign neglect” – a mother focusing on her own tasks, meeting her baby’s needs almost absentmindedly, but meeting them all the same.

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WHO: “Infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development and health. Thereafter, to meet their evolving nutritional requirements, infants should receive nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods while breastfeeding continues for up to two years of age or beyond.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics: “Introduction of complementary feedings before six months of age generally does not increase total caloric intake or rate of growth and only substitutes foods that lack the protective components of human milk.”